Lubbock Christian student-athlete Taylor Franco and coach Daren Hays received a reprimand for misconduct that occurred during the 2022 NCAA Division II Softball Championship.
The Division II Softball Committee originally issued the reprimand and other penalties that Lubbock Christian appealed to the Division II Appeals Subcommittee, which reviewed relevant materials, video, correspondence and statements made during a hearing.
Penalties for Lubbock Christian include:
- Withholding of three days per diem for Lubbock Christian for its participation in the NCAA Championship for student-athlete Taylor Franco and head coach Daren Hays ($115 per person per day for a total of $690).
- Franco and Hays will be required to sit out the first three consecutive NCAA softball championship games in which they would otherwise be a participant.
The subcommittee agreed that a misconduct penalty was warranted because Franco brought a softball from the dugout and removed the game softball from the field of play in a game against Angelo State during South Central Regional competition May 12.
Additionally, in upholding the penalties for Hays, the subcommittee noted that head coaches are responsible for the actions of their team's student-athletes. The subcommittee agreed with the Division II Softball Committee that this conduct will not be tolerated during the softball championships. The decision of the appeals subcommittee is final.
"The appeals subcommittee supports the DII Softball Committee's initial penalties levied as a result of this incident," said Reid Amos, chair of the Division II Championships Committee and commissioner of the Mountain East Conference. "The NCAA Division II Championships Committee has the highest expectations of student-athletes and head coaches in maintaining the integrity of competitions. Additionally, we expect all participants to properly comply with the Division II code of conduct and engage in and promote ethical behavior at all times as we conduct NCAA championships. Though the circumstances associated with this misconduct are unfortunate, we look forward to moving on from the incident."
